BIOS does not respond to keyboard input?

[Only_One_2000_1999]

First off, my sincere appreciation to whomever takes the time to read this. My searching and tech support efforts have thus far been in vain. I have a Winbook A210. The laptop keyboard and touchpad do not give any response either in windoze xp, or before any os loads, making it impossible to enter the bios. If I boot from a good os, like Puppy Linux, (starting without a key press) the keyboard (and sometimes mouse) will work flawlessly once it is loaded. I assume that to mean that it is not a hardware problem. I do not know what to do. The usb keyboard and mouse both flash momentarily when plugged in, and then cease their life at any point in time whether or not an os is loaded. Winbook tech support was less than helpful. I finally pulled the hard drive and ran the restore disks on it from my desktop computer. Windoze boots up flawlessly, but I am unable to control it. My only luck has been booting up puppy. Is there any way to use puppy to update the bios or whatever else needs done? Running Puppy as the Sole OS is not a problem, except I can not run Adobe Suite 8, (Or AOE2). Thank you so much for your help.

[SirDuncan]

Some older computers could not use USB devices before the OS loaded drivers for it. Puppy, of course, has USB drivers for most basic devices. I would have thought that XP would have drivers for them too, but it apparently relies on the BIOS to load drivers or emulate PS2 devices. If you go to the site of the manufacturer, you might find something to flash the BIOS. If you're lucky that will fix your problem. You could also get a device that converts the output of your USB device to PS2. I use one on the mouse for my desktop because the KVM switch I use does not have a USB jack. They work great.

If you just need to get it working in XP, you could look for drivers for the devices. That wouldn't help you get into anything before the OS loads, though.

[Only_One_2000_1999]

SirDuncan,

Thanks for your reply. You have thus far been much more help than Winbook Tech Support. I guess I should give some more information about the computer though. It has an AMD Sempron 2800+ with 512MB ram, 80 gb HD, ect. So, although it is by no means top of the line, it really isn't all that old either. I confused myself reading through my first note so I figured I should clarify. When puppy boots I have full access of the built-in keyboard and touchpad. I actually havn't tried their usb counterparts with puppy, only Windoze, which provided no avail.

Winbook's site provides a wiki of sorts, and I have spent numerous hours searching for a solution. The closest thing I found was to contact tech support and have the bios updated. This is difficult since the only way to have keyboard access is through Puppy Linux, and have no floppy to boot from. The only thoughts that crossed my mind was to write a program to autorun and automate the install whatever is needed to update the bios. My only training is in VB6, so it should be interesting.

I also feel stupid because I should have mentioned that I do not have a ps2 port, and thus the reason for using a usb keyboard (which I bought just to try to fix this machine). That being said, I don't have a pcmcia slot either . . . . rather odd. Definitely the most interesting laptop I have worked on.

Anywho thank you so much for your help. Any input I can receive is most appreciated.

God Bless

[SirDuncan]

Wait, the built in keyboard and mouse do not work in Windows? I know that was in your first post, but for some reason I was thinking of the USB ones both times. That's just screwed up. It should at least work with the OS that comes preloaded on it. I quite honestly have no idea what could cause that. If I get a chance, I will have to do some web searching for the cause.

[Sage]

Not sure I'm understanding this, either!

Like XP/Vista, USB & wireless keyboards and mice are a constant source of confusion and generally a waste of time and effort. Bin them.

Many USB/wireless devices can't reach BIOSes at start because the default of <USB keyboard/devices> may be switched off or absent. In these situation you enter an endless paradox (cf Lobster) - no drivers to make them function, no access to BIOS to switch them on, should the BIOS permit this.

Like the army does - stick to simple wired components; secure and debug-able.
If your PS/2 port is dead, fix it - there is usually an sm fuse onboard right behind the port itself. Modern quality boards use the more expensive self-resetting fuses.
If your PS/2 k/b is dead, open it up. If it's a membrane type, bin it - if it's a switch type, put it through the dishwasher and make sure it's thoroughly dried. Check if it has an internal fuse. Connect it to a PSU and do a continuity check with a cheap meter. The pinouts are on the Web.
A new PS/2 k/b is going to cost you ~£2.50 + VAT, but, for testing either borrow one from the guy next door or pick one out of your nearest skip/dumpster. The older ones without the 'doze keys are best - more robust and long-lived. Try to get an AT type (with a switch setting for ATX on the underside), and use a plug converter.

If all this is irrelevant, feel free to ignore, delete, abort.

[HairyWill]

I would also try checking that the keyboard ribbon connector is in properly.